1) Field
The general inventive concept relates to a heating member including a resistive heating layer, and a fusing apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the heating member.
2) Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus for using an electrophotographic method typically forms a visible toner image on an image receptor by supplying toner to an electrostatic latent image formed on the image receptor, transferring the visible toner image to a printing medium, e.g., to a sheet of paper, and fusing the transferred toner image onto the printing medium. The toner may include various additives, such as a coloring agent or a resin, for example. The fusing process typically includes applying heat and pressure to the toner. The image forming apparatus using the electrophotographic method consumes a substantial amount of energy during the fusing process.
A fusing apparatus of the image forming apparatus typically includes a heating roller and a pressing roller that engage with each other to form a fusing nip. The heating roller may be heated by a heat source, such as a halogen lamp, for example. Thus, heat and pressure are applied to the toner image, which is transferred to the printing medium, e.g., the sheet of paper, while the printing medium passes through the fusing nip.